The Next Idol
by beautiful-gorgeous06
Summary: There's something up Dumbledore's sleeve...hmmm...what is it? Maybe it's and interschool singing competition!Wanna know what happens? Who will win? Why is Snape a judge? Read and find out!
1. Announcement

LOCKED IN A HALL CLOSET

WHO WILL BE THE NEXT…WITCHZARD IDOL?

Chapter 1: Announcement

It was nearly the end of their sixth year at Hogwarts. Voldemort had gone into hiding. They had yet to take their final examinations before their summer break started. All was well. Things were the same as usual and the students used their time to study for their final exams. They only had three months left. Little did they know that they would be very busy in these final 3 months.

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"Hey, guys! Did you hear?" 15-year old Colin Creevey shouted excitedly, bursting into the Gryffindor Common Room.

"What now, Colin?" Ronald Weasley said in a bored voice, not looking up from the chess game he and Harry Potter were playing. To tell the truth, NOBODY looked up or stopped whatever they were doing to listen to some thing Colin was blabbering about.

"Can you believe it?" Colin yelled excitedly.

"Believe what?" Neville Longbottom asked, looking up from his _mimbulus mimbletonia._

"Dumbledore and the other school headmasters are setting up this inter-school competition! 'Who will be the next Witchzard Idol?' it's called! And it starts in a week from now! Isn't it exciting?"

Suddenly, the whole room went silent. Everyone stared at Colin.

"How'd you know this, Colin?" Harry asked him curiously.

Suddenly, for once, everyone was interested in what Colin was about to say.

Colin shrugged. "Heard it from Ernie MacMillan. Told me that the announcement was just posted on each bulletin board," he said, pointing his index finger in the direction of the Gryffindor bulletin board. As soon as each Gryffindor heard this, they all rushed up to the bulletin board and crowded around it, trying to read the announcement at once. Harry pushed his way in front of the crowd.

"Hey! Listen up!" he shouted over the noise.

As soon as he got everyone's attention, he continued. "Listen, since we're all obviously trying to read the announcement, how about I'll read it aloud?" Harry suggested. Everyone nodded. He began to read the announcement.

**HOGWARTS SCHOOL OF WITCHCRAFT AND WIZARDRY presents the inter-school singing competition namely, between Hogwarts, Beauxbatons, and Durmstrang. Anyone is free to join. No need to audition. Judges will eliminate a few people before the rounds begin. Signing up for the competition will take place between April 16-18. Elimination is from April 19-22. The competition will officially start on April 24. **

**Judges: Albus Dumbledore, Headmaster of Hogwarts, Madame Olympe Maxime,**

**Headmistress of Beauxbatons, and due to the absence of Igor Karkaroff, former**

**Headmaster of Durmstrang, Professor Severus Snape will take his place.**

**Venue/s: Different venues will be used for performances and rounds.**

**Host: Harry James Potter** **and Hermione Jane Granger**

**(Sign up sheet will be posted soon)**

After Harry read the last line, everyone was talking about the competition. As soon as Harry finished reading the announcement, looking a bit bemused, Ron came up to him and clapped him in the shoulder.

"Good Luck being host, mate." he said, grinning.

As soon as everyone heard this, they all crowded around Harry, asking him various questions about the competition, which Harry had absolutely no idea how to answer.

"Harry, what kind of song should we sing?" Katie Bell asked him.

"Harry, what time do you think the sign-up sheet will come?" a Gryffindor asked him.

"Harry, do you reckon it'll be hard?" Dean Thomas chimed in.

"Harry, d'you think i'll win if I sign up?" Neville piped up.

"Why does Snape have to be a judge?" Parvati Patil asked him in wonder.

"Yeah! Why Harry?" they all chorused.

Harry began to feel annoyed. "Hey, I only knew today!" he protested angrily. "I don't know a thing about this competition!" Just then, Hermione Granger, the Head Girl, walked into the room. Then looking at the crowd around Harry, she tried not to giggle.

"I see you've seen the announcement, have you co-host?" she teased him while grinning.

Harry looked relieved as soon as he saw her. "'Mione!" he cried, very relieved that she was here while walking over to her. "Thank god! What the hell is this about? Me, host? That's absurd!" he said, beginning to look doubtful that he would be the host.

Hermione grinned at him. "Harry, you're the perfect host! You've got it all: charm, looks, style…." She trailed off.

"I sound like a model or something." Harry muttered sarcastically.

Hermione laughed at his response. Then somebody coughed from one of the Gryffindors, who were waiting expectantly for her to say something about the competition. "Erm, Dumbledore told me specifically not to tell anyone further details of the competition. Except for the host." she told them, pulling Harry aside.

Some of them grumbled then went back to their usual things. When she turned her back to face Harry, she noticed to her satisfaction that everyone went back to what they were doing. Even Ron, although he kept on glancing at his best friends.

"Well?" Harry demanded, as soon as they were out of earshot of their fellow Gryffindors. "'Mione, I think you know something that I don't. Spill it." Hermione grinned.

"Do you remember a few weeks before our final examinations, you and Ron noticed that I seemed overly stressed?" she started. Harry nodded. "Well, Dumbledore called for some prefects and I," she explained, "And he told us that there was this inter-school singing competition and we had to discuss and plan for it.

"For instance the number of rounds, the themes, venues, all of those important things." she continued. "Then we would meet once a week with the other Heads from Beauxbatons and Durmstrang and discuss about it. Then after exams, we had our final meeting where we put everything together and they decided that you and Ishould be the host!" Hermione told him brightly.

Harry shook his head in confusion. "I still don't get it. Why me? Couldn't it be Viktor Krum or someone else?"

Hermione smiled. "Harry, you're the perfect host for this competition! Like that host Ryan Seacrest on American Idol!" Then she narrowed her eyes at him." You do know who Ryan Seacrest is, don't you?"

Harry nodded "Yeah, of course!"

Hermione began to smile. "And besides, Krum is out of Durmstrang already and he's probably playing Quidditch right now!"

Harry grinned. "This is so cool! Wait 'till I tell Ginny!" Harry said happily, rushing out of the common room to look for his girlfriend. Hermione shook her head and smiled. She took four thumbtacks from her pocket and pinned the sign-up sheet to the bulletin board.

"Listen up, everyone!" she said loudly, trying to make sure her voice was audible to everyone. Everyone looked at her. "Here's the sign-up sheet. Write your name if you want to take part in the competition! You have 3 days starting now!" she announced. She heard the Gryffindors murmur and whisper to one another trying to decide it they should sign-up or not. As soon as she started to step out of the common room, she glimpsed a few people writing their names on the list.

Just then, a voice called out her name. "Hermione, wait up!" it was one of her best friends, Ron, who shouted, running up to her. "'Mione, have you seen Harry? We still haven't finished our chess game!" he said, looking around for Harry. "By the way, congrats on being a co-host."

Hermione smiled at him. "Thanks. Are you going to sign up?" she asked him, gesturing to the bulletin board sign-up sheet, which was already half-full.

"Nah, to much pressure." He answered.

"You coward."

"Hey! I heard that! Besides, I wouldn't want to mess up my perfectly good voice." Ron said, grinning at Hermione.

"I didn't know you could sing, Ron. Or have a 'perfectly good' voice. It sounds scratchy to me." Hermione teased him, grinning.

Ron's cheeks turned a faint pink. "Yeah, sure. Just tell Harry I'm looking for him. Who knows where he went to" he muttered. Hermione giggled. "Oh, well. I'm gonna go challenge somebody to a good chess game. Maybe Seamus. Bye." He said, waving to his best friend, closing the door behind him.

Hermione sighed happily and walked to the Head Girl/Boy Common Room. She told her password to the portrait and went in. She saw the Head Boy, Draco Malfoy, sitting on one of the couches, reading a book, with his feet propped up on the table.

"Malfoy," She sighed tiredly. "Could you get your foul feet off the table? It's already dirty as it is." she said.

Draco Malfoy looked up from his book. "Do you mind, Granger? I'm reading." he snapped.

"Yes I do mind!" Hermione said testily. Then she sighed. "Alright Malfoy, what did Dumbledore and the others say about the rounds and venues?" she asked him, attempting to be civil to him.

"They liked it…thought it was okay…blah, blah, blah." Draco said waving his hand in the air.

Hermione sighed with relief. "Great." She said to no one in particular staring at the small fire in the Common Room.

Draco looked at her in annoyance. "Are you done sighing in relief yet or do I have to wait for a few more hours 'till you're done?"

Hermione broke her gaze from the fire and glared at him. "Oh, I'm done." She said, pinching him on the arm before she went up to her dorm room.

Draco winced. "Ouch! That hurt, Granger!" he yelled after her.

"Sure" she replied. "Just wanted to know if you were tough or not." She told him, her hand on the knob of her dorm room. "Apparently, you're and old softie." She grinned mischievously at him, quickly going in her room before she could hear more insults from him.

**Note: Sorry people, this is my FOURTH time to re-write this story 'cos I kept on changing my mind. If you noticed the changes. My apologies for the people who reviewed this story and are waiting for a chapter 2, only to have it erased then put back on. So I copied the previous reviews people gave me before I re-wrote this story:**

**Charmedatwriting: plz plz plz plz update soon i love the start & the idea of the story cant wait to see who'll sing what the start rocks cant wait to read more**

**Elvish-Princess99: Yeah... It's good. But I thought it would take a leetle longer for them to realize it's love. like millions of very hilarious fights...ah, the missed oppurtunities... Anyways yeah, bring c2 on**


	2. New Plans

LOCKED IN A HALL CLOSET

WHO WILL BE THE NEXT…WITCHZARD IDOL?

Chapter 2: New Plans

"Professor Dumbledore, I have to talk to you about a matter that concerns a certain student." Severus Snape said, striding up to Dumbledore. Professor Minerva McGonagall, who was talking to Dumbledore while Snape called his attention, looked at him irritatedly.

"Can't it wait, Severus? I've got a matter to discuss here with Albus."

"I'm afraid not, Minerva," he replied coolly. "I need this to be over before it starts."

McGonagall opened her mouth to retort but Dumbledore spoke before she got the chance to utter a word. "It's all right, Minerva." He told her, before turning to Snape. "Now what seems to be the problem, Professor Snape?" Dumbledore asked him politely.

Snape began to look a little -just a little- uncomfortable. "Well Albus," he started "It concerns Hermione Granger. You see, I don't think she's compatible to be a host for the upcoming interschool singing competition. The other professors have agreed with me that Miss Granger needs more people skills. Now-"

"So you're saying Hermione Granger is not qualified for the job?!" McGonagall said angrily, glaring daggers at Snape.

"Exactly my point."

"What?!" McGonagall exploded. "Albus…"she said in a shocked voice "…are you hearing this?"

Dumbledore gave a slight chuckle. "It's all right Minerva." He assured her. "I know what Severus is talking about. Now Severus," he said, turning to the Potions professor. " Since Ms. Granger is no longer going to host the competition alongside Mr. Potter, who will take her place?"

Snape looked gleeful. " Well, sir, I suggest Ms. Pansy Parkinson as a replacement."

Dumbledore nodded at him. "Excellent, excellent. Is there a problem, Minerva?" he asked her, for, she was opening and closing her mouth without that much of a sound.

She nodded. "Now that Ms. Granger was taken off her position as host, isn't that a bit…"

"Unfair?" Dumbledore supplied for her. She nodded at him. "Why, indeed. It does seem a bit unfair for her part, to be chosen as a host, then replaced…" he said thoughtfully. A few milliseconds later, the familiar twinkle in his eyes appeared. "I have an idea. Why doesn't Miss Granger be part of the top 24 contestants? I daresay she's an excellent singer. Is that fine with you Minerva? Severus?" he asked them.

McGonagall looked pleased. "Of course." She replied.

Snape, on the other hand, looked sulky. "I supposed it seems fair." He said moodily.

"Wonderful!" Dumbledore said. "Now, please inform the school of the minor changes, especially Ms. Granger." He added, before going up to his office.

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"What?!" Hermione Granger screamed, when she was informed of the changes.

"Hermione, relax. It's no big deal." Harry said soothingly.

"I'd relax if _I_ wasn't replaced…" she muttered. Ron looked at her helplessly.

The trio had gone out for a stroll around the school when a frantic McGonagall rushed by with a stack of papers and quickly told her that she was no longer host of the interschool singing competition and Pansy Parkinson replaced her. Hermione didn't get a chance to respond, for McGonagall was halfway around the courtyard, barking at every student who came on her way.

Hermione sighed. "I don't get it." She said, sitting down on the grass. "Why was I replaced? I didn't do anything bad, did I? Wait…" she trailed off, just as Harry and Ron sat down beside her. A moment later, a look of realization hit her. "Harry, Ron, do you think I failed a subject?!" she asked them frantically. "Oh…what if mum and dad knew…that's it! I must've failed! But what? Maybe it was Ancient Runes…or Arithmacy! Bloody numbers…" she muttered under her voice.

Harry placed a hand on her shoulder. Hermione quieted and looked at him.

"Hermione, for whatever reason you were replaced," he told her. "I guess McGonagall and the others must've felt sorry for you because…" he said, a grin coming in to his features.

"….you're one of the top 24 contestants." Ron finished, looking gleeful at the idea of his best friend holding a mike and singing into it with thousands of students watching her.

It took a few seconds before Hermione registered what her best friends were saying. She looked at them in horror. "Godric Gryffindor!!" She shrieked. "Are you telling me I have to sing?!"

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"Come on…"

"No."

"Please?"

"No."

"Damn. I regret saying this: Pretty please with sugar on top?"

"No. Absolutely not."

"Come on, Draco, you know you want to…" Blaise Zabini said, wiggling his eyebrows at his best friend.

Draco Malfoy raised his eyebrows at him. "Are you trying to seduce me, Zabini?"

Blaise blanched. "God no! Draco, you pervert! Now are you going to sign up or what?"

"Uh…let me think about it…" Draco said, pretending to look thoughtful. "NO!"

"Come on, Malfoy. You're a good singer and you know it. Sign up!" Blaise said, nudging him to get his arse off the chair and write his 11-letter name on the sign-up sheet.

Draco sighed. "Aren't you ever going to leave me alone?" he said wearily.

Blaise on looked more persuasive. "Not until you sign up." He said firmly.

"Slytherins are very stubborn, aren't they?" Draco said absently, his attention back to the book he was reading before Blaise interrupted him and started persuading him to sign up for the competition.

"Might I remind you that you're one, too?" He said, in mild politeness.

Draco glared at him. "All right! All right! Will you leave me alone if I sign up?" he said exasperatedly.

"Well, duh. That's why I'm pestering you right now." Blaise said, rolling his eyes.

Draco smacked his arm. "Shut up." He said, standing up from his seat to write his name in the sign-up sheet that was taped in the Slytherin notice board.

"There. You happy?" Draco asked him.

Blaise grinned. "Exceptionally. Now that's the two of us, a 1 in a 10 chance we might be in the top 24."

Draco looked at him grimly. "You made you're point, forced me to sign up, and I'm _still_ in the same page you disturbed me in. Now get out and leave me in peace!" he snapped.

Blaise stood up and pretended to bow to him, as if he were his servant. " As you wish, Master Malfoy." He said in a deep voice as he began to walk away.

"Bloody git." Draco muttered, returning to his book.

"Hey, I heard that!"

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Dumbledore joined the rest of the professors at the staff meeting. He handed out rolls of parchments with various names on them, otherwise known as the sign-up sheets. "Now, professors, please deliberate amongst yourselves for the top 24 contestants. Feel free to raise a question or two." He instructed them. Soon, every professor began to unroll a piece of parchment, talk among himself or herself and cross out names. A few rolls of parchment later, Snape spoke up. "Interesting. Draco Malfoy signed up?" A few professors raised their eyebrows at him, not believing what he said.

Dumbledore chuckled. "Put him on the list."

An hour and a half later, the list completed, Dumbledore read the names of the top 24 contestants:

"Michael Corner, Dennis Creevey, Hektor Divorski, Seamus Finnigan, Neville Longbottom, Draco Malfoy, Poliakoff, Zacharias Smith, Dean Thomas, Vladimir Volchov, Ron Weasley, Blaise Zabini, Hannah Abbot, Katie Bell, Lavender Brown, Millicent Bullstrode, Cho Chang, Gabrielle Delacour, Hermione Granger, Padma Patil, Parvati Patil, Cassandra St.Pierre, Romilda Vane, and last but not least, Ginny Weasley."

Flitwick wiped his forehead. "That's quite a long list, Dumbledore." He commented.

"Yes, now all we need is for Mr. Potter and Ms. Parkinson to be informed and ready for the start of the competition, which will start next week." Dumbledore said. "Oh, and Professor Sprout, would you mind posting the lists of the top 24 contestants along with their photographs?" he added. Professor Sprout nodded.

"Good" he replied. "Minerva, after your last class, could you gather all the contestants from Hogawarts and the 2 hosts and ask them to meet me in your classroom?" he asked her. McGonagall nodded.

"Excellent, excellent."

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"Arghh!!" Draco yelped in a strangled voice.

"What? What happened??" Blaise asked him in a slightly alarmed tone, and appeared next to him. Draco pointed to a list that was thumbtacked to the notice board. _THE_ list that was thumbtacked to the notice board. And he was on that very list.

"What the hell did you get me into, Zabini?!" he yelled at his best friend.

Blaise seemed to ignore him and peered at the list. "I don't know what you're talking about, Dra-hey! I'm on the list!" he said gleefully. "Whoa! I'm one of the top 24! And so are you!" He scanned the list again. "Hey look! Granger's on the list! I wonder how she got there?" he said.

Draco stopped moaning about being on the list and looked at where Blaise was pointing. "Hey, she a mud-"

Blaise clapped a hand over his mouth before he could complete his sentence, or rather, the word he was saying. "Draco, its over. Give it up. No more names, alright?" he said in a firm tone.

Draco slapped his hand away. "Whatever." He said, walking away from his best friend.

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Dumbledore cleared his throat. "Okay, contestants and hosts, a few days from now, our inter-school singing competition will begin. There are 12 rounds and for the first round, you will be singing in groups."

Hermione's hand shot up in the air. A few people snickered and Hermione glared at them. "Professor, what about the other contestants from Beauxbatons and Durmstrang? Will they be informed?" she asked him.

Dumbledore smiled. "Of course, Ms. Granger. I will owl them shortly after our meeting. Now, where was I? Oh, yes, the rounds. Now, for the first round, you will be divided into 6 groups, with four people of the same sex, and your team leader will pick a song that you are comfortable with. You will listen to various songs made by that particular singing group, for the males, the Black Eyed Peas, and for the females, S Club. Now, the contestants from Beauxbatons and Durmstrang will be arriving here tomorrow, 'till then, we will form the groups and pick the songs."

He paused, then continued. "I have a bag here with all the names of the contestants, I will choose 3 boys and girls to be the team leader. For the boys, " he said putting his hand in the bag and picking 3 scraps of paper. " Zacharias Smith, Ronald Weasley, and Blaise Zabini." A few people applauded. "For the girls," he said, digging his hand into the bag. "Katie Bell, Cho Chang, and Parvati Patil." A few girls squealed in surprise. "Now, tomorrow, when our other contestants are present, team leaders will pick 3 members, their songs, and practice. Any queries?"

When nobody answered, Dumbledore smiled and said, "You may go now."

As soon as the contestants were outside, they began to talk animatedly to one another.

"I can't believe you're a leader Parvati!" Lavender squealed.

"Yeah, I hope we get to be on your team!" Padma gushed.

"Congrats being a leader, mate," Harry said, clapping a hand on his back.

"Yeah, Ron, for once, you get to lead!" Hermione told him excitedly.

"Hey team leader, wait up!" Draco said, jogging up to Blaise.

"Aww…Draco…I wish _you_ were a team leader…" Pansy cooed, holding on to his arm.

"Go away." He said, yanking his arm away from her grip and running up to Blaise.


	3. Let's get this show on the road!

LOCKED IN A HALL CLOSET

WHO WILL BE THE NEXT…WITCHZARD IDOL?

Chapter 3: Let's get this show on the road!

Three days before the competition, the other contestants from Beauxbatons and Durmstrang arrived. Dumbledore called the contestants and the two hosts into an empty classroom for a meeting.

"Okay, are we complete? Good. Contestants, gather round." He said motioning the group forward. "It seems I have made a mistake." He continued. "Earlier this week, I announced that you would have to work in groups of the same sex. Apparently, majority of the songs that you and group will pick requires at least a male AND a female. So for the males, each group will have 3 boys and 1 girl, and for the females, 3 girls and 1 boy.

Team leaders, please step forward. It is time to pick your teammates." He announced, as the six chosen team leaders stepped forward. Dumbledore held out two bags of different color. "Mr. Smith, you first. Pick two from the red bag and one from the blue one." He instructed, as Zacharias Smith put his hand in the red one, then the blue one, and gave the scraps of paper he picked to Dumbledore.

"Dean Thomas, Neville Longbottom, and Romilda Vane." He announced. "Mr. Zabini, you're next." He said, holding out the two bags.

"Vladimir Volkov, Michael Corner, and Millicent Bulstrode." He said, putting the scraps of paper on the table next to him and holding out the bags to Ron. Ron closed his eyes and one by one, dug his hands into both of the bags.

"Dennis Creevey, Seamus Finnigan, and Hannah Abbot. Ms. Bell, please pick two from the blue and one from the red bag." He instructed her, as she put her hand inside the blue bag.

"Hermione Granger, Ginny Weasley, and Draco Malfoy." He announced, just as two people from the group groaned. "Ms. Chang, " He said, once again, holding out the two bags.

"Padma Patil, Cassandra St.Pierre, and Poliakoff. And last but not least, Ms. Patil." He said politely, shaking the two bags a bit and holding it out for her to pick.

"Lavender Brown," he paused, as a squeal came out from the group. "Gabrielle Delacour, and Hektor Divorski. Now that all the groups have been formed, you will have to pick a song that's compatible for you and your teammates." Dumbledore told them.

"Black Eyed Peas for the male team leaders and their groups, and S Club 7 for the female team leaders and their groups. Listen to the CD's over there, afterwards, you may pick the lyrics from this tray," he explained, gesturing to the tray full of papers. "Practice, memorize, and work together. And that goes for you too, Harry, and Ms. Parkinson. No questions? Alright, we will see each other in 3 days!" he said, leaving the room full of teenagers who started to argue amongst themselves.

- - Backstage - - -

"How're you feeling?" Ginny asked Hermione, as their hairdos were being done—muggle-style. Hermione took Ginny's hand and squeezed it tightly.

"Nervous." She replied. "Really, really nervous. I've probably got a thousand butterflies in my stomach."

Ginny smiled. "I think I might have something that may help. Do you remember rehearsals? The four of us kept arguing throughout all of them! It's a wonder we got something done!" Hermione smiled, a bit of her nervousness going away.

"Yeah, and when you got so annoyed at Malfoy, you hexed him." she grinned. By now, their hair and their make-up were done and they were just waiting for the show to begin.

Ginny laughed. "The best Bat-Bogey Hex ever to be performed!"

"And what are you beautiful ladies laughing about?" Harry said, coming up to them.

Ginny kissed him on the cheek. "Just the time when I hexed Malfoy during rehearsals." She told him.

"At least your rehearsals were fun." Harry said sullenly. "Pansy is a really terrible host. It makes me wonder how she ever got to be one. All she does is whine and pout. It's terrible, really." He said.

"Well Harry, she's a Slytherin." Hermione said, shrugging. "Once a Slytherin, always a Slytherin."

"What is this, racial discrimination against houses?" A voice drawled behind her.

Hermione groaned. "Not you again! Look, I've already spent three days of torture with you during rehearsals. Leave me in peace, will you?" she snapped.

"Such manners must be minded, Granger." Draco said. "Potter, Weaselette." He nodded at them.

"Just five more minutes, Mr. Potter." A guy in a headset came up to him informed him. Harry nodded and gave

Ginny one last kiss. "Better best be going." He told them. "I'll see you later!" he said, heading off to the stage.

"Well Granger, unfortunately, I'll see you soon." Draco said, disappearing before Hermione could hex him. Hermione growled and pulled on a loose strand of hair in frustration. As the lights backstage began to dim, Hermione looked more nervous than she did before and Ginny fidgeted in her seat.

"Well, this is it." Ron appeared next to Hermione, looking as if he were about to faint.

"This is it." Ginny whispered excitedly, grabbing Hermione's hand and squeezing it tightly.

Hermione squeezed her hand back. "Yeah, it's the end of the world." She agreed.

Just then, a loud voice started a 5-second countdown. "We're on air in 5…4…3…2…1…action!"

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"Welcome to the new talent search for aspiring singers out there, Who will be the next…Witchzard Idol!" Harry boomed, running up on the stage with Pansy coming out on the other side. "Well, you all know me, Harry Potter…"

"And me, Pansy Parkinson!" Pansy cried into her mike.

"And we're going to be hosting this competition!" they said at the same time.

"Well, you all know-" Harry said, taking a few steps forward. "-That this is an interschool singing competition. But do you know who's going to be in it? Say hello to the judges: Albus Dumbledore, Headmaster of Hogwarts! Madame Maxime, Headmistress of Beauxbatons! And due to the absence of Durmstrang's headmaster, Professor Snape will be filling in for him!" he said, as a few people from the audience booed.

" All right now, let's introduce the contestants!" Harry said, as all 24 contestants apparated to the stage one by one. The audience erupted into loud cheers and some of the contestants bowed.

"Okay contestants, we'll see you later!" Pansy cooed, giving them a little wave as they apparated out of the stage.

"So," Harry said, clapping his hands to get the attention of the audience. "You know what to do: watch them perform, vote for your favorites later. We'll pass around 10 boxes for you to drop your votes in after they're all done performing. So, performing right now: Zacharias Smith, Dean Thomas, Neville Longbottom, and Romilda Vane, singing Black Eyed Peas' 'Don't Phunk With My Heart'!" Harry announced, as he and Pansy exited the stage. The lights dimmed as four people walked up to the stage. The lights brightened and the opening of the song began.

"_No, no, no, no, don't phunk with my heart, No, no, no, no, don't phunk with my heart" Romilda Vane began to sing, twirling around. "I wonder if I take you home, would you still be in love, baby (in love, baby). I wonder if I take you home, would you still be in love, baby (in love, baby_)" she sang.

Zacharias moved forward and began to sing. "_Girl, you know you got me, got me, with your pistol shot me, shot me and I'm here helplessly in love and nothing can stop me, you can't stop me cause once I start it, can't return me cause once you bought it, I'm coming baby, don't got it (don't make me wait) So let's be about it_." He sang, attempting to do a suave moonwalk without slipping.

"_No, no, no, no, don't phunk with my heart_" Romilda sang, shaking her hips.

"_Baby, have some trustin', trustin', when I come in lustin', lustin', cause I bring you that comfort I ain't only here cause I want ya body I want your mind too. Interestin's what I find you, and I'm interested in the long haul. Come on girl (yee-haw!)_" Zacharias sang, trying to imitate a cowboy and stepping on Neville's toe in the process. Neville yelped and tried not to scream while Zacharias looked at him apologetically.

Romilda stepped forward and opened her mouth. "_I wonder if I take you home, would you still be in love, baby (in love, baby). I wonder if I take you home, would you still be in love, baby (in love, baby). No, no, no, no, don't phunk with my heart_." She wiggled her finger.

Dean glided forward and brought the mike to his lips. "_Girl, you had me, once you kissed me, my love for you is not iffy. I always want you with me. I'll play Bobby and you'll play Whitney, if you smoke, I'll smoke too. That's how much I'm in love with you. Crazy is what crazy do, crazy in love, I'm a crazy fool_"

"_No, no, no, no, don't phunk with my heart_" Romilda put in.

Neville took a teeny step forward and fumbled with the mike before singing into it. "_Why are you so insecure, when you got passion and love her. You always claimin' I'm a cheater, think I'd up and go leave ya for another señorita, you forgot that I need ya, you must've caught amnesia, that's why you don't believe. (Uh, yeah, check it out)._" He sang, almost tripping over his shiny black shoes.

"_Don't you worry 'bout a thing, baby," Zacharias sang. "'Cause you know you got me by a string, baby, don't you worry 'bout a thing, baby, 'cause you know you got me by a string, baby_."

"_Baby girl, you make me feel,_" Dean sang. "_You know you make me feel so real, I love you more than sex appeal, (Cause you're) That-tha, that tha, that-tha, that girl_." He sang, repeating it for five times.

Overlapping music played as Romilda took on her cue to start singing. " _No, no, no, no, don't phunk with my heart_." She sang, singing it twice.

"_That-tha, that tha, that-tha, that girl_." Zacharias put in.

Romilda swayed to the music and opened her mouth to sing the end of the song. "_I wonder if I take you home, would you still be in love, baby (in love, baby)_" she sang, singing it over and over for a few times.

"_Don't you worry 'bout a thing, baby_," Zacharias sang. " _'Cause you know you got me by a string, baby_,"

"_Don't you worry 'bout a thing, baby_," Dean continued.

"'_Cause you know you got me by a string, baby_." Neville finished.

After their song finished, the audience whooped and cheered while the group bowed. Harry and Pansy came out and congratulated them.

Pansy yawned softly. "Nice performance." She told them.

"Nice?" Harry said dubiously. "It was great! Except for the part when Zacharias stepped on Neville's toe."

The audience laughed. "Hey, it was an accident!" Zacharias protested.

Harry grinned. "Alright. Judges, what did you think of their performance?" he asked them.

Dumbledore chuckled. "I liked it." Madame Maxime smiled. "Vverry entertaining." She said. "No comment." Snape said, looking bored. The audience booed at him.

"Well, that was our judges' opinions, but we need yours." Harry said. "Vote your favorites later, but right now, let's listen to my best mate, Ron Weasley, with Seamus Finnigan, Dennis Creevey, and Hannah Abbot singing Black Eyed Peas'-"

"-'Don't Lie'!" Pansy screeched. Harry gave her an are-you-an-idiot? look and exited the stage as the lights began to dim and the next group went up the stage.

Ron stepped forward and started to sing. "_Sorry, sorry, sorry, sorry. Hey, baby my nose is getting big, I noticed it be growing when I been telling them fibs. Now you say your trust's getting weaker, probably coz my lies just started getting deeper, and the reason for my confession is that I learn my lesson. And I really think you ought to know the truth, because I lied and I cheated and I lied a little more. But after I did it I don't know what I did it for. I admit that I have been a little immature, fucking with your heart like I was the predator. In my book of lies I was the editor, and the author. I forged my…my...signature_," Ron paused, trying to remember the correct words. "_And now I apologize for what I did to you, 'cos what you did to me I did to you_." He sighed, relieved that he did not forget the lyrics.

Hannah started to sing softly. "_No, no, no, no baby, no, no, no, no don't lie. No, no, no, no, yeah, you know, know, know, know, you gotta try. What you gonna do when it all comes out, when I really see you & what you're all about. No, no, no baby, no, no, no, no don't lie. Yeah, you know, you know, you know, you know, you know, you gotta try_." She stepped backward.

Seamus stepped forward and began to sing. "_She said I'm leaving, 'cos she can't take the pain. It's hard to continue this love it ain't the same. Can't forget the things that I've done inside her brain. Too many lies committed too many games. She feeling like a fool getting on the last train. Trying to maintain but the feeling won't change. I'm sorry for the things that I've done and what I became, caught up in living my life in the fast lane, blinded by lights, cameras, you know the fame. I don't know the reason why I did these things_." He sang, swaying a little.

Seamus and Hannah stood together and sang at the same time. "A_nd I lie and I lie and I lie and I lie, and now our emotions are drained, 'cos I lie and I lie and a little lie lie, and now your emotions are drained_."

Hannah stepped away from Seamus and sang a little louder than she did before. "_No, no, no, no baby, no, no, no, no don't lie (no, don't you lie). No, no, no, no, yeah, you know, know, know, know, you gotta try (got to try, got to try). What you gonna do when it all comes out (what you gonna do baby). When I really see you & what you're all about. No no no babe, no, no, no, no don't lie. Because you know, you know, you know, you know, you know, gotta try. Ooh ooh ooh, ooh ooh ooh ooh. Ba da ba da ba da ba da badabada_"

Hannah, Ron, and Seamus all stepped back to let Dennis move forward. "_Yo, I'm lying to my girl_," he sang. "_Even though I love her, and she all in my world. I give her all my attention and diamonds & pearls, she's the one who makes me feel on top of the world, Still I lie to my girl, I do it." "And I lie and I lie and I lie till there's no turning back, I don't know why, (and I lie and I lie till I don't know who I am)_" they all sang at the same time, as the song ended.

The audience cheered and applauded, as Harry and Pansy came out. "Cool song. Nice vocals, mate." Harry said, hi-fiving Ron. Pansy yawned. "B-o-r-i-n-g." she said, examining her cuticles. Harry, Ron, Seamus, Dennis, and Hannah glared at her. Harry cleared his throat. "Alright judges, what do you say about their performance?"

Dumbledore smiled. "Very realistic song, although, Mr. Weasley, you nearly forgot a word in your part of the song, and Ms. Abbot, your voice was a tad bit too soft." "I agree with Profezzor Dumbledore." Madame Maxime said, nodding her head. Meanwhile, Snape shook his head. "Terrible, just terrible." Snape commented, as some people from the audience booed again at him.

Harry nodded at the judges. "Alright, thank you contestants, we will see you later. And next group to perform is-"

"-Blaise Zabini, Vladimir Volkov, Michael Corner, and Millicent Bulstrode singing 'Pump It'!" Pansy cut in.

"By the Black Eyed Peas." Harry added, as he and Pansy exited the stage.

The lights dimmed, then brightened, as four people stepped up to the stage.

Blaise jumped forward and started to sing. "_Ha ha ha, Pump it, ha ha ha. And pump it (louder)." He sang, singing it for four times. "Turn up the radio, blast your stereo, right." He continued. "Niggas wanna hate on us (who?) Niggas be envious (who?) And I know why they hatin' on us (why?) Cause that's so fabulous (what?) I'ma be real on us (c'mon!) Nobody got nuttin' on us (no!) Girls be all on us, from London back down to the US. We rockin' it (contagious!), monkey business (outrageous!) Just confess, your girl admits that we the shit. F-R-E-S-H, we (fresh!) D-E-F, that's right we def (rock!) We definite B-E-P, we reppin' it  
So, turn it up (turn it up!) C'mon baby, just-"_

Michael stepped forward "_Pump it (louder!)_" he sang, singing in for six times.

Vladimir also stepped forward and began to sing. "_And say, oh oh oh oh, say, oh oh oh oh, yo, yo._"

"_Turn up the radio, blast your stereo, right now. This joint is fizzlin', it's sizzlin', right_." They all sang.

Blaise, Michael, and Millicent stepped back to let Vladimir have the spotlight and sing his part. "_Yo, check this out right here. Dude wanna hate on us (dude!) Dude need'a ease on up (dude!) Dude wanna act on up but dude get shut like flavor shut (down!) Chicks say, she ain't down but chick backstage when we in town (ha!) She like man on drunk (fool!) She wanna hit n' run (errr!) Yeah, that's the speed, that's what we do, that's who we be. B-L-A-C-K -E -Y-E-D-P to the E, then the A to the S, when we play you shake your ass. Shake it, shake it, shake it girl, make sure you don't break it, girl, cause we gonna-" _

Michael stepped forward and began to sing. "_Turn it up (turn it up!), turn it up (turn it up!), turn it up (turn it up!). C'mon baby, just, pump it (louder!), pump it (louder!), pump it (louder!), pump it (louder!), pump it (louder!), pump it (louder!)_"

Blaise glided forward and sang. "_And say, oh oh oh oh, say, oh oh oh oh, yo, yo_."

"_Turn up the radio, blast your stereo, right now. This joint is fizzlin', it's sizzlin', right_." They all put in.

"_Damn (damn), Damn (damn), Damn (damn), Damn (damn), Damn (damn_)." They all said, one by one.

Millicent moved forward. "_Woooooowwwwww._" She sang, opening her mouth widely.

Michael danced his way forward and began to sing. "_Apl. de ap. from Philippines, live and direct, rocking this scene. Breaking on down for the B-boys, and B-girls waiting to do their thing. Pump it, louder come on, don't stop, and keep it goin', do it, lets get it on Move it! Come on, baby, do it!_"

Millicent swayed her hips as she began to sing. "_La-da-di-dup-dup die dy, on the stereo. Let those speakers blow your mind, (Blow my mind, baby) to let it go, let it go, here we go. La-da-di-dup-dup die dy (c'mon, we're there) On the radio, the system is gonna feel so fine_."

"_Pump it (louder!), pump it (louder!), pump it (louder!), pump it (louder!), pump it (louder!), pump it (louder!)" _they all put in, one by one.

"_And say, oh oh oh oh. say, oh oh oh oh, yo, yo!_" Blaise sang, almost hitting Vladimir's eye when he raised his hand in the air.

"_Turn up the radio, blast your stereo, right now. This joint is fizzlin', it's sizzlin', right_." They sang at once, finishing the song.

As soon as their song finished, the audience cheered some of them standing up and raising signs that they made. The group blushed and bowed as Harry and Pansy came out to congratulate them.

"Great song, guys! I loved it!" Pansy gushed, batting her eyelashes at the three guys in the group who ignored her.

Harry grinned. "Yea, it was great! Let's hear what the judges have to say about it." He said, looking at the judges.

Dumbledore chuckled. "A magnificent performance." He told them, as the audience cheered once again. Madame Maxime smiled. "Vverry energetic song, althow, what eez a 'niggas'?" she asked them in a slightly confused tone.

Nobody answered her.

Snape yawned. "It was much, much better than the last two." He said, as some people from the audience cheered and booed at him.

Harry coughed. "Good performance, guys, we'll see you later." He said, as the group walked out of the stage. "Now, it's time for our next group to perform: Katie Bell, Hermione Granger, Ginny Weasley, and-"

"Drrraccco Malfoyyy." Pansy said dreamily, and sighed.

Harry looked annoyed at her for interrupting him and continued. "Yes, and Draco Malfoy, singing S Club 7's 'Don't Stop Movin'!" he said, prodding Pansy in the back with his mike so she could get out of stage as the lights dimmed.

"_Don't stop moving to the funky, funky _beat." A voice said.

"_Don't stop moving to the funky, funky beat_." Another voice chimed in.

"_Don't stop moving to the funky, funky beat_." Another voice added.

"Don't stop moving to the S Club beat." A male voice said, as the lights brightened.

Draco moved forward and as every girl recognized him, they began to squeal. Draco smirked at their reactions and began to sing. " _DJ's got the party started, there's no end in sight. Everybody's moving to the rhythm that's inside. It's a crazy world, but tonight's the right situation. Don't get left behind. I can feel the music moving through me everywhere. Ain't no destination baby, we don't even care. There's a place to be, if you need the right education. Let it take you there._" He sang, dancing to the music as the girls in the audience swooned at him.

Hermione glared at him as Katie swayed forward and sang. "_Just go with the magic baby. I can see it there in your eyes (I can see it there in your eyes) Let it flow, stop the waiting. Right here on the dance floor is where you gotta let it go" _

"_Don't stop movin', can you feel the music. DJ's got us going around, 'round. Don't stop movin', find your own way to it, listen to the music taking you to places that you've never been before, baby now."_ They all sang, dancing around and swaying to the music. As they moved around, Hermione and Draco passed by each other and Hermione took the opportunity to stomp on his toe. Draco glared at her and pinched her on the arm. Katie gave them warning look and they both concentrated on their performance.

"_Don't stop moving to the funky, funky beat_." Ginny put in.

"_Don't stop moving to the S Club beat_" Hermione chimed in.

Ginny stepped forward and brought the mike to her lips. "_You can touch the moment, almost feel it in the air. Don't know where we're going, baby, we don't even care. Ain't no mystery, just use your imagination. Let it take you there. Just go with the magic baby. I can see it there in your eyes (I can see it there in your eyes) Let it flow, stop the waiting. Right here on the dance floor is where you gotta let it go!" _

"_Don't stop movin', can you feel the music. DJ's got us going around, 'round. Don't stop movin', find your own way to it, listen to the music taking you to places that you've never been before, baby now_." They sang altogether.

"_Don't stop moving to the funky, funky beat._" Katie said.

"_Don't stop moving to the funky, funky beat._" Ginny sang.

"_Don't stop moving to the funky, funky beat_." Hermione put in.

"_Don't stop moving to the S Club beat_." Draco added.

Hermione put her hands in the air and sang. "_Forget about your fears tonight. Listen to your heart  
Let's just touch the sky (listen to your heart) No need to reason why. Just listen to the sound, let it make you come alive_." She sang, opening her mouth widely to enunciate 'alive'.

"_Don't stop movin', can you feel the music. DJ's got us going around, 'round (don't stop movin'). Don't stop movin', find your own way to it, listen to the music_" they all sang as Draco added. "_Yeah, yeah, yeah_"

"_Don't stop movin', can you feel the music. DJ's got us going around, 'round (don't stop moving). Don't stop movin', find your own way to it. Listen to the music taking you to places that you've never been before, baby now."_ They sang together, as the song began to end.

"_Don't stop moving to the funky, funky beat_." Katie said.

"_Don't stop moving to the funky, funky beat_." Ginny chimed in.

"_Don't stop moving to the funky, funky beat._" Hermione added.

"_Don't stop moving to the S Club beat_." Draco finished, as the four of them posed.

The audience erupted into cheers and gave them a standing ovation.

Draco pretended to keep on smiling and whispered to Hermione, who was beside him. "See? Told you they would love me." He told her, his voice full of smugness.

"Ha! In your dreams, Malfoy. Don't act so smug because you think that they like you." She told him through gritted teeth, trying to keep on smiling but inside, she just wanted to curse Draco into oblivion.

Katie leaned over to them. "Can't you two ever stop bickering? You've been doing that ever since rehearsal! Be nice, will you? It's our first performance and I hope we didn't mess it up." She told them out of the corners of her mouth, trying not to look too angry in front of the audience. They both nodded, trying their best not to kill each other at the moment.

Harry and Pansy appeared, Pansy immediately going to Draco's side.

"That was a fantastic performance! Nice vocals, Hermione." Harry said, grinning at his best friend. Hermione grinned back. "Well Harry, I have a lot of singing talent in me." She joked at him, as the audience laughed.

"You were amazing, Draco." Pansy purred, as Draco looked at her disgustedly and tried to remove his arm from her grip and was unable to, thinking that her arm was permanently glued to his.

"So judges, what did you think of their performance?" Harry asked them.

Dumbledore chuckled. "I highly enjoyed it. Brilliant performance. Absolutely loved it." He said, as the audience cheered. "It eez vverry wonderful performance." Madame Maxime told them, as the audience cheered once again. "I must say, this is the best performance I've seen." Snape said, as the audience gave one more cheer.

Harry laughed. "Looks like they really enjoyed your performance. We'll see you later." Harry told the group as they exited the stage, with Pansy trailing behind a very annoyed Draco. "Okay, just two more performances to go, so right now, performing S Club 7's 'Bring It All Back', Cho Chang, Padma Patil, Cassandra St. Pierre, and Poliakoff!" Harry said, exiting the stage as the lights dimmed and four people appeared on the stage.

"_Bring it all back now_" Poliakoff said.

"_Don't stop, never give up, hold your head high and reach the top. Let the world see what you have got.  
Bring it all back to you_." They all sang, as the song started.

Cho Chang stepped forward and brought the mike to her lips. "_Hold on to what you try to be, your individuality. When the world is on your shoulders, just smile and let it go. If people try to put you down, just walk on by don't turn around, you only have to answer to yourself_."

Poliakoff began to sing. "_Don't you know it's true what they say, that life, it ain't easy. But your time's coming around. So don't you stop tryin'._"

"_Don't stop, never give up, hold your head high and reach the top. Let the world see what you have got,  
bring it all back to you. Dream of falling in love, anything you've been thinking of. When the world seems to get too tough, bring it all back to you_." They all sang together. "_Na na na na….." _

Cassandra took a step forward and began to sing. "_Try not to worry 'bout a thing, enjoy the good times life can bring. Keep it all inside you, gotta let the feeling show. Imagination is the key, 'cos you are you're own destiny. You never should be lonely when time is on your side_."

Padma stepped forward. "_Don't you know it's true what they say, things are sent to try you. But your time's coming around so don't you stop tryin'_" she sang.

"_Don't stop, never give up, hold your head high and reach the top. Let the world see what you have got,  
bring it all back to you. Dream of falling in love, anything you've been thinking of. When the world seems to get too tough, bring it all back to you._" They all sang. "_Na na na na….."_

"_Don't you know it's true what they say, things happen for a reason, but your time's coming around, so don't you stop tryin'._" Cho sang.

As the song began to end, the music that accompanied their singing paused so it was only the four of them.

"_Don't stop, never give up, hold your head high and reach the top. Let the world see what you have got,  
bring it all back to you. Dream of falling in love, anything you've been thinking of. When the world seems to get too tough-_" the three girls sang.

"_-Bring it all back to you_." Poliakoff finished, as the audience applauded and some cheered. The group bowed and the two hosts came out.

"And that was Poliakoff, Cho, Padma, and Cassandra!" Harry said, as they bowed again. "Judges! What did you think of their performance?" Harry asked them, as Pansy began to talk animatedly to Cassandra.

Dumbledore smiled. "A very nice song." He said. Madame Maxime nodded. "I liked eet." She said. Snape yawned loudly. "Completely boring song." He said, as the group glared at him and the audience booed at him.

Harry smiled. "Alright contestants, we'll see you later." He said, as the group disappeared. "And the last group to perform is Parvati Patil, Lavender Brown, Gabrielle Delacour and Hektor Divorski, singing S Club 7's 'Never Had A Dream Come True'!" Harry said, as he and Pansy exited the stage. The lights dimmed and four people appeared on the stage.

Parvati stepped forward and began to sing. "_Everybody's got something they had to leave behind. One regret from yesterday that just seems to grow with time. There's no use looking back or wondering how it could be now or might have been. Oh this I know but still I can't find ways to let you go." _

"_I've never had a dream come true, 'till the day that I found you. Even though I pretend that I've moved on, you'll always be my baby. I never found the words to say, you're the one I think about each day. And I know no matter where life takes me to, a part of me will always be with you_." They chorused.

Lavender took a step forward. "_Somewhere in my memory, I've lost all sense of time and tomorrow can never be cos yesterday is all that fills my mind. There's no use looking back or wondering how it should be now or might have been. Oh this I know but still I can't find ways to let you go_." She sang.

"_I've never had a dream come true, 'till the day that I found you. Even though I pretend that I've moved on, you'll always be my baby. I never found the words to say, you're the one I think about each day. And I know no matter where life takes me to, a part of me will always be…_" they all sang.

"_You'll always be the dream that fills my head. Yes you will, say you will, you know you will. Oh baby, you'll always be the one I know I'll never forget. There's no use looking back or wondering, because love is a strange and funny thing. No matter how I try and try I just can't say goodbye. No no no no." _Gabrielle and Hektor sang, swaying to the music.

"_I've never had a dream come true, 'till the day that I found you. Even though I pretend that I've moved on, you'll always be my baby. I never found the words to say (words to say) You're the one I think about each day. And I know no matter where life takes me to, a part of me will always be, a part of me will always be… with you_." They sang altogether, as they finished the song.

The audience clapped, some of them sniffed, apparently moved by their song. Harry and Pansy came out and congratulated them. "A very touching song, guys." Harry told them. Pansy nodded absently, and began to look at her cuticles again. "Judges, what do you have to say?" Harry asked them.

Dumbledore gave them a small smile. "Just as Harry said, a very touching song." "Yezz, yezz. Vverry touching." Madame Maxime told them, wiping the corners of her eyes with a white-laced handkerchief.

Snape put a hand to his chin. "B-oring." He said, as everyone glared and booed at him.

"Okay, contestants, please go backstage right now. The audience will now vote for their favorite contestants." Harry announced, as paper and 10 ballot boxes were being passed around to the audience.

After what seemed like an hour, Harry and Pansy collected the boxes and gave them to various assistants for them to count. Fifteen minutes later, the votes were counted and Harry called all the contestants to the stage.

"Contestants, it is time." He announced, as the contestants held hands and looked nervous. "Tonight, you performed in groups for the audience. Now, the audience voted for their favorite contestants." He told them. "The three contestants with the lowest votes will be eliminated. And those three are…"


	4. Backstage

"…Seamus, Hektor, and Lavender

"…Seamus, Hektor, and Lavender. I'm very sorry. You three will NOT be the next Witchzard Idol." Harry announced. The three eliminated contestants hugged one another, smiled sadly and stepped forward. Lavender gave Parvati one last hug before the remaining contestants walked out of the stage.

"Well, contestants, I guess your time is up." Pansy told them.

"But before we leave, let's give them the stage, as they sing their good-bye song." Harry added, as the lights dimmed and the two hosts walked to the left corner of the stage to watch them.

- - Backstage - -

As the remaining contestants walked backstage, they all sat down at their respective dresser chairs, exhausted.

"Some night, huh?" Ginny asked aloud, grabbing a brush from her dresser and brushing her hair softly.

"I can't believe Lavender just got eliminated." Parvati sighed dejectedly, looking sadly at Lavender's empty dresser chair. Just then, Luna Lovegood tumbled into the backstage area, wearing a headset and carrying an oversized bag full of cold water bottles.

"Here," Luna said dreamily, distributing each contestant a cold water bottle. "That was a wonderful performance, guys, although I sensed the presence of some Skidderflies on the stage. I was worried it might affect your performances but it turned out to be quite harmless." She said, as everyone stared at her.

"What are Skidderflies?" Draco mouthed to Blaise, who shrugged and mouthed back, "I dunno. Maybe one of your goons know."

"Who? Crabbe and Goyle? Yeah, I reckon they speak stupid, so maybe they'd understand what Lovegood was talking about." Draco whispered to Blaise.

"Damn right, you are." Blaise whispered back as the two sniggered. Everyone looked at them curiously and they shut up, not wanting to attract attention.

"So Luna, are you part of the backstage people or something?" Hermione asked her.

Luna nodded. "Yeah, assistant. I convinced them to let me take part in the backstage crew so I could capture all the Skidderflies and Snorkacks flying around here. Nasty things. Speaking of them, there's one flying out now. I have to catch them. See you later." Luna said, jumping in the air, as if trying to catch and imaginary mosquito.

"Weird girl, that one." Dean commented, as they heard a crash nearby.

"I'm okay!" Luna called out in a muffled voice. Cho stood up. "I'll help her. I'm going to the bathroom anyway." She said, grabbing her purse and heading off to Luna's direction.

"So Neville, do you think you did well?" Dennis asked him. Neville shook his head. "N-no. I-I think all of you did you loads better than I did." He stuttered.

Draco snorted. "For once, Longbottom, you're right."

"No, that's not true, we all did great." Hermione cut in. "Neville, you did quite all right." She told him kindly.

Draco scoffed. "Oh please! If we all 'did great', how come three of us got eliminated?" he said mockingly.

Hermione glared at him. "That's not the point!" she said angrily. "The point is that we all tried our best-"

"-and since three of us didn't try our best, they got eliminated. " He said in a bored voice. "What??" he asked in an annoyed tone as nearly every contestant glared at him.

Hermione narrowed her eyes at him. "What are you trying to say?" she asked him slowly. "Are you implying that we all didn't do well at our performances tonight?"

All eyes were on Draco. "Never said that. All I said was SOME of us didn't 'do well' during performance." He replied.

"Are you talking about yourself or the eliminated contestants?" Hermione asked him casually.

"Are you calling me a liar?"

"Hmm…I don't know. What do you think?"

"I know what you're trying to say. Don't you ever call me a liar, you-"

"Don't even say that name, Malfoy!"

"What name, mud-"

"That name!"

"You know, it'll do me good if you'll stop cutting me, Granger."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Guys!" Ginny hissed. The two looked around and saw that nearly everyone was staring at them. "Could you lower it down a little bit? The show's still on." She told them hastily.

Hermione looked at her apologetically. "Sorry Ginny. It's just that Ferret here…" she glared at him.

"My fault again!" Draco exclaimed angrily. "You never really give up, do you-"

"What's going on in here?" a voice interrupted them. It was Harry. The show was over and he, Pansy, and the three eliminated contestants went backstage, only to find Hermione and Draco glaring at each other as if there were no tomorrow.

Ginny went over to him and wrapped her arms around him. "Oh, it's nothing." She told him casually. "Just another one of those heated arguments you always see in reality TV shows."

"Right." He said, giving Ginny a kiss and looking at Hermione suspiciously.

"That was a great performance, Lav." Parvati told her, as she sat down next to her and handed her a water bottle. Lavender giggled. "As if you watched our whole and last performance," she said. "We could practically hear a screaming match going on in here."

"Yeah, what happened?" Seamus asked them, taking off his jacket and grabbing a water bottle.

"Can somevody tell me vat haven?" Hektor said, in his thick, Russian accent, looking very confused at the situation at hand. Everyone looked at Hermione and Draco expectantly.

"It's a long story." Hermione explained, looking uneasy. Draco merely yawned.

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"Splendid show, contestants, hosts" Dumbledore congratulated them, as everyone mumbled a quiet "Thanks." Three days after their performances, Dumbledore called them again and they met in the same old empty classroom, this time without Hektor, Lavender, and Seamus. "Alright contestants, I know you're still exhausted from your first performance, but after that 3-day rest I have granted you, it has come to my decision that you should start rehearsing soon, since you will be performing next week at the same time, same place." He announced, as a groan was heard from the contestants. Dumbledore smiled sadly at their tired faces and continued talking.

"We have also decided that we should not have different venues for every performance. Instead, we will use the same one and it is being re-constructed to look similar to the stage of American Idol. For this 2nd round, you will still be singing in groups." he explained. "4 members per group except for one which will have 5 members. And as for the songs, you will sing 70's, 80's or some random disco song!" he told them brightly.

"Great." Ron whispered to Harry. "Not even my mother listens to these types of songs, and she's ancient." Harry chuckled softly. "She better not hear you, Ron, or you're dead for life." He whispered back as Ron cautiously looked around, as if expecting his mother to spring up behind him any moment.

"And now for the groups. I have picked them myself. Group 1 is Hermione Granger, Cho Chang, Ginny Weasley, and Romilda Vane. Next group is Draco Malfoy, Ron Weasley, Zacharias Smith, and Blaise Zabini. Third group is Michael Corner, Vladimir Volkov, Dennis Creevey, Dean Thomas, and Poliakoff.

Fourth group is Padma Patil, Cassandra St.Pierre, Gabrielle Delacour, and Katie Bell. And lastly, Neville Longbottom, Parvati Patil, Millicent Bulstrode, and Hannah Abbot. CD's are to your right, lyrics are to your left. Two days after tomorrow are your rehearsals so you will need to memorize your song choice by then. No questions? Alright, I'll be in my office!" Dumbledore said, as he swept out of the room, his cloak trailing behind him.

Harry sighed wearily and clapped his hands. "Alright, you heard Dumbledore. Let's get a move on. And Pansy," he said in an exasperated voice. "Could you please concentrate on our practices and not stare at Draco's arse like last time?" he asked her, as Draco scowled at Pansy and some of the contestants giggled.

'_Nice going, Pansy'_ Hermione thought to herself. '_Now everyone knows how much you adore Draco's butt cheeks' _She thought, rolling her eyes. Then a moment later, the room burst out laughing and Pansy ran from the room.

"Nice job, Hermione!" Ron yelled at her, laughing at the same time.

Hermione looked confused. "What are you talking about?" she asked them.

"Your little outburst earlier, that's what we're talking about." Cho said, grinning at her.

Hermione looked puzzled. Then recognition dawned in her face. "You mean-, what I said-about Pansy-adoring butt cheeks?" she asked them weakly.

"Yeah!" Cho said, as Hermione reddened. "I cannot believe I just said that out loud." She murmured. Cho shrugged. "Well, you said it, and that's that." She said, still grinning.

"Good grief, Granger," Draco snorted, trying to control his laughter. "I didn't know you had a sense of humor after all." he said, doubling over with laughter.

"Neither did I." She grinned. "But I hope she's okay, though." Hermione said with a worried look on her face.

"Oh, don't worry, she'll be fine." Millicent Bulstrode choked, as she passed by Hermione to conjure a glass of water. "She'll be back in a while." She assured her.

Harry clapped his hands once more. "Alright, alright. Due to Hermione's er-joke," he said, grinning at her. "Your song-choosing time is a little delayed. But right now, we have to get back to work." He said in a serious tone, as everyone picked themselves up from the ground (A/N: Some of them were rolling on the floor or sitting down while laughing) and began to go and talk to their group mates.

"Thanks for the entertainment, Granger." Draco said, as he passed her.

"That was a tad bit too short for entertainment, Malfoy." She replied.

"Maybe. But it was funny enough."

"Nice to know I made a Malfoy laugh." She smiled, as she joined her group.

**A note from beautiful-gorgeous06: Hey people. Sorry this chapter is shorter than my regular chapters. I know they're supposed to perform in this chapter but I'm quite stressed at the moment and I need a lot of time to think, so I'll just put their performance in the next chapter. Anyway, hope you enjoy this chapter. I rather like it so I hope you'll like it too! ******** -beautiful-gorgeous06**


	5. The Plan

LOCKED IN A HALL CLOSET

Next Idol Chapter 5

"Alright students," Dumbledore announced. "It is time to pick your songs." Everyone looked towards the empty tables, puzzled.

"-By drawing lots!" He finished. They all groaned.

"Drawing lots!" Dean protested. "We could get a song meant for girls!" The rest of them nodded in agreement.

"No matter." Dumbledore said, silencing them. "Whichever song it may be, it is for your group." Draco Malfoy raised his hand.

"Sir, that's bull-"

"Shhhh!" Hermione silenced him. Draco glared at her. Hermione rolled her eyes.

"First song!" Dumbledore said brightly. "For Ms. Granger's group." He rummaged around in a small red bag without looking. He held up a slip of paper. "Lady Marmalade!"

Hermione's eyes widened. "What??"

The other contestants whooped and whistled while a few of the guys sighed in relief. Ginny, meanwhile, started conversing with Cho on their upcoming performance, her eyes gleaming as Cho listened to her eagerly.

"This can't be happening!" Hermione said, covering her head with her hands.

"Oh, it's happening Granger." Draco said, grinning wickedly. "So let's see Granger. How do you look a,oh yes, a _corset_?" he said, emphasizing the last word. Hermione narrowed her eyes and aimed a kick at his shin, narrowly missing his leg.

"Who says I'm wearing a corset?" she retorted.

"Me." He retaliated.

"Shut up, you arse!"

"Sod off."

Hermione lifted her led and stomped on his foot, which set him yelping in pain. "I believe I aimed well." Hermione said smugly. Draco gave her a look of utter loathing and limped back to his friends.

"Settle down, settle down." Dumbledore called out. "Now the next group, Mr. Malfoy's." He dug his hand once more in the red bag. After reading the slip of paper, he gave a chuckle. "'I Will Survive'"

Draco and his group groaned. Ron was grinning. "Who'd want to sing to that?" he joked. And the whole room burst out laughing.

"Ron," Harry told him gently, his shoulders shaking. "You're part of that group."

Ron looked stared at him. Then he grew pale. And soon, torrents of swear words were erupting from his mouth.

"Sir!" Draco protested "That song is completely and absolutely-"

"Quiet, Mr. Malfoy." Dumbledore told him. "You agreed to all the terms and conditions prior to participating in this competition and a song has already been selected for your group. No exchanging of songs." He said firmly.

Draco muttered fiercely under his breath. "What terms? They didn't make us sign anything. He bloody made that up!"

Blaise shrugged. "No regrets. I think it's rather interesting." Draco scowled at him.

Dumbledore nodded at approvingly. "For our next group, Mr. Corner's." He dug into the bag and drew up a slip of paper. "'Play that Funky Music'" he read. Michael nodded happily.

"Sounds more like 'Play that Fuckin Music' to me." Draco muttered. Blaise snorted and slapped hands with him.

"Boys." Hermione muttered, rolling her eyes.

"And the song for Ms. Bell's group is 'If You Can Read My Mind'." Dumbledore announced. Katie's group smiled at each other.

"Ooh, I love that song!" Padma exclaimed.

"Oh really?" Dean teased her. "Then maybe I'll play it on our next date." Padma giggled.

"Just stop it!" Parvati said angrily, whacking Dean. "You're going out with ME remember?"

"Uh...er.." Dean stuttered. The group let out a collective gasp.

"No!" Padma said firmly. "He is clearly going out with me!"

"I'm his girlfriend!" Parvati screeched. The group let out another "Oooh"

"No you're not!" Padma yelled. "You're too stupid to go out with him! I'M his girlfriend!" And with that, Parvati lunged at her sister and began to attack her. Padma retaliated by pulling at her sister's long plaits—hard.

"Dean." Blaise congratulated him. "Two of the most prettiest girls in school. Fighting over you." Dean grinned.

"I salute you." Ron said, admiring his fellow Gryffindor and giving him a high-five.

"Well you should, Weasley." Draco scoffed. "You could use all the help you can get. You can sure use some expertise on the matter of GIRLS."

Ron turned red. "Why you-"

"Stop it!" Hermione commanded, separating the two.

"You two are acting like morons." Ginny said.

"He's the moronic one." Draco yawned, pointing at Ron. Ron started to advance toward him, ready for a fight.

"Ron!" Hermione snapped. "Stop it right now or else I'll tell them what you did three summers ago!" Ron froze and looked at Hermione, horrified. Dumbledore clapped his hands to get their attention. "Silence! Students, listen to me and be quiet.."

"You wouldn't." he said slowly.

Hermione shrugged. "I think you'll find that I would. If you don't step away from Malfoy." Ron took in a deep breath and relaxed slowly. With one last uncertain glance at his best friend, he inched away from Draco. "..Ms. Patil and Ms. Patil," Dumbledore droned on. "Get yourselves together and resolve your disputes after we are done with this meeting.."

"Well?" Draco asked her eagerly. "What is it? What did he do?"

Hermione folded her arms. "I'm not telling you, you idiotic moron."

"I'll give you two Galleons." Draco offered. "You could use it."

"I'd rather you give me your whole fortune." Hermione told him. "That way, we'll be rich and you'll be the one begging for money." Ginny grinned at her friend. "..And lastly," Dumbledore continued. "for Mr. Longbottom and his group, 'Build Me Up Buttercup'.."

Draco scowled. "Oh never mind." A few laughs were heard after Dumbledore's announcement. Neville grinned nervously at his group.

"So what did Ron do?" Ginny asked her, after Draco had gone away.

"You didn't know?" Hermione said, surprised. She whispered something into Ginny's ears and the two of them erupted into giggles. "..As for the lyrics," Dumbledore said. "They will be distributed later in the afternoon. The same procedures as follows." And with that, Dumbledore left the room.

The noise in the room gradually intensified as soon as Dumbledore left. Ron was passing, going to his group when he passed Ginny and Hermione giggling. And they giggled even more when Ron passed them.

"What's so funny?" he asked them confusedly.

"It's nothing." Hermione hiccupped.

"Just a funny story Hermione told me." Ginny said, trying to keep a straight face.

"About what?" A baffled Ron asked.

Ginny covered her mouth. "Three summers ago." And the two of them burst into laughter.

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A few days later, Harry and Ron were playing chess in the Common Room while their fellow Gryffindors milled about.

"Did you see what was going on with Hermione and Ginny?" Ron asked his best friend.

"No." Harry said, without looking up from the chess pieces. A pawn was trying to convince him that he should move the bishop the left but Harry was hesitant. "What were they saying?"

"I dunno." Ron said, taking his turn. Something about 'three summers ago'."

"I bet its nothing." Harry said, moving the bishop to the right.

"Guess you're right." Ron said, shrugging off the incident. He moved his king forward and captured Harry's. "Checkmate!" he said proudly.

The pawn banged its head.

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It was a warm day, yet a group of students were gathered in the Slytherin Common Room, some were sitting down comfortably on the plush sofas yet a few of them were standing rather uncomfortably, refusing to sit down.

"Why are we here again?" Ron demanded, his feet hurting terribly from standing up too long.

"It would be easier if you sat down, Weasley." Draco said languidly, stretching his feet and propping them on the table infront of him.

Blaise saw Ron hesitating. "It'll be over in minute." He told Ron. Draco sighed impatiently. "Forget him. We have other pressing matters to discuss."

"The performance, you mean?" Zacharias put it.

"Of course the performance!" Draco snapped. "And that stupid song we got!"

Ron couldn't resist retorting. "But why here?" he argued.

Draco raised an eyebrow. "You prefer the Gryffindor Common Room?" Ron shook his head. "I guess not."

"So what are we gonna do?" Zacharias asked, puzzled. "I listened to the song the other day and it was…" he trailed off.

Draco exhaled sharply. "Point is, we have do well in this round, no matter how fucking horrible this song is. So, any ideas?"

Blaise was looking amused. "We could don these crazy little things muggles call 'wigs' and use them." He suggested.

"What are wigs?" Zacharias asked.

Blaise grinned mischievously. "Hair."

"WHAT?!" Draco, Ron and Zacharias yelled in horror.

"We are NOT using that." Draco told him.

"Never." Ron said, looking horrified at the thought.

"Absolutely not." Zacharias agreed, shaking his head. Blaise shrugged nonchalantly. "Then what ARE we gonna do?"

"I have an idea." Ron said suddenly.

"Oh look," Draco mimicked. "The Weasley has an idea."

"I think it's a brilliant one." Ron said indignantly.

"Well," Blaise said brightly. "Let's hear it then."

Ron looked uncomfortable. "Well, how bout we all do stage acts and wear costumes?" he suggested timidly.

"That is the worst idea I've ever heard." Zacharias declared. Ron glared at him. "Let's see you then." He challenged.

Zacharias shrugged. "Swirly lights?" he said in bored tone.

It was as if a light bulb had popped into his head. Draco tilted his head and listened to his group mates arguing amongst themselves about the performance. 'Wigs..costumes..swirly lights..and an old Disco song..' Draco thought. And it came to him. "I got it!" he said, snapping his fingers together.

"Got what?" they all asked at once. Draco leaned in closer to them and told them about his sudden idea.

"Amazing!" Blaise said admiringly, when he was done explaining.

"It could work!" Zacharias said, nodding his head.

"It's brilliant!" Ron proclaimed. "But who's going to do the research work?"

They all looked towards Draco expectantly. Draco looked up from his parchment, where he was jotting all of the ideas down. "Oh fuck." He said, horrified. "You cannot be bloody killing me."

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"You have to tell her." Cho whispered.

"Me?" Ginny said, aghast. "Why me? Did we already make a decision?"

"Yes!" Cho said, exasperated. "It was the first thing we decided on!"

"But why do I have to do it?"

"Because you're her friend!" Cho hissed.

"Damn." Ginny muttered. "I knew friendship came with a price." She looked at Cho doubtfully. "And if she refuses? She's quit stubborn, you know."

Cho frowned. "I realized that." She searched the library and saw empty tables and vast shelves of books. "And where is Romilda Vane?"

"Dunno," Ginny said, shrugging impatiently. "Of snogging Dean or someone else."

"Dean?" Cho said, surprised. "I thought he was dating both Patil twins!"

"Well I guess she's another girl involved in their love triangle." Ginny said. "Thank god Harry and I don't have a complicated relationship."

"Speaking of complications," Cho interrupted Ginny. "YOU have to tell Hermione."

"And I said no!" Ginny argued.

"No to what?" A voice asked curiously.

It was Hermione, carrying an armful of books. Cho and Ginny exchanged a look. Cho nodded at Ginny. "Er-Hermione," Ginny started. "We need to talk to you."

"Concerning?" Hermione asked, setting her books down on the table and pulling out a chair.

"Our performance this Saturday."

Hermione looked at her inquiringly. "What about it?"

"Our costumes." Ginny said meaningfully. Hermione's face contorted to a look of confusion.

"Our costumes…?" Then it dawned on her. "What?!" she shrieked. Cho and Ginny winced. "See?" Ginny told her. "Stubborn." Cho glared at her. "This isn't over." She looked at Hermione.

"Hermione," she pleaded. "You absolutely HAVE to wear it. We all are and we could advance if we wear it. Don't you want to advance to next round?"

Hermione flushed. "I do! But a CORSET?! Where the hell did you get that idea anyway?" Hysteria was taking over her. A corset. She had to wear a corset. In front of a live audience. Oh god, no!

"Well," Ginny continued, glancing at Cho. "We got the idea from Malfoy. We overheard the two of you arguing a few days back and we just happened to hear the word 'corset' and that's where we got the idea. Hermione? Hermione, are you alright?" For, Hermione was dangerously turning into a dark shade of red.

"Draco Malfoy?!" she exploded. Madame Pince made a shh-ing noise at her but she ignored it. "You got the idea from him??" she yelled. "I'm gonna kill that bloody Slytherin!" She pushed her chair away and stomped out of the library.

Ginny and Cho looked at each other in horror and ran after her.

Hermione had turned a corner, barking at people if they knew where Draco Malfoy was, when she bumped and tumbled to the floor with a tall someone with platinum blonde hair. Aha! Draco Malfoy. Just the person she was looking for.

"You!" she accused.

Draco looked surprised and revolted. "What?" he snapped. What was this mudblood doing? Accusing him? Of what? All he was doing was heading over to the library to do some research work for their bloody performance and he got the feeling it would not be there anyway.

"You." She repeated, piercing him with an icy stare.

"What did I do now?" he protested. The mudblood seemed to be blaming him for every sodden thing gone wrong. It was infuriating. Even though most of them WERE his fault.

"You gave them the idea." Hermione accused, pointing a finger at him.

"Excuse me?" he said, annoyed.

"You gave them the idea about the corsets!" she yelled.

"Hermione!"

Ginny and Cho were running towards them, looking panicked. "Don't tell him!" Cho shouted. But it was too late.

"Corsets?" he said slowly. Then it came to him. "You and your little group are wearing corsets to the performance!" he said gleefully. He grinned evilly.

"Don't you dare!" Ginny told him. "If anyone finds out.."

"You expect me to keep a secret?" Draco scoffed.

"Yes!" the three of them burst out.

"Sure." He said, standing up and smoothing his robes. "When I grow poor." He smirked and walked away from them.

"The jerk!" Hermione said angrily. "He can barely keep his mouth shut for five seconds!"

"Well there goes our surprise entrance." Cho said sadly.

Ginny was thoughtful. "A swimsuit…bikini maybe?"

"No!" Hermione and Cho cried in unison.

"No more skin!" Hermione said firmly.

"But-"

"No!" Hermione said stubbornly.

"Fine." Ginny sighed dejectedly. "It was good while it lasted."

Cho nodded sympathetically.


End file.
